Diving talks raise money for flood fund

Published:15:11Thursday 14 March 2013

AN evening of diving presentations has raised more than £850 for the Stonehaven Flood Relief Fund.

Local diving author Rod Macdonald and Defence Industry Consultant Paul Haynes, the directors of the Stonehaven-based Dive Charter and RYA Powerboat Training company Haynes Macdonald Services Ltd, held an Evening of Diving Presentations at the Royal British Legion on March 1 to raise funds for the Flood Relief Fund.

Rod and Paul are well known internationally in the diving world and have been invited to present at OZTeK - the world’s largest technical diving conference - in Sydney on 16/17 March.

They delivered their OZTeK presentations, which are both about the loss of the battleship HMS Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser HMS Repulse, sunk in the same battle by 85 Japanese bombers with great loss of life in December 1941 - 200 miles north of Singapore and 50 miles offshore.

The sinking of Prince of Wales was the first time a battleship had been sunk by air attack.

It is now seen as defining the end of the era of the battleship and the rise of the aircraft carrier.

The evening attracted 70 attendees and raised £865 for the Relief Fund.

Local people, companies and fundraising events have all helped to raise money for the fund.

Application forms were available for people affected by the flood, to make a claim from the fund to help them in what has been such a traumatic time.

With the closing date now past, the applications have been reviewed and most of the people affected by the storm and the flooding who have put in a claim will be receiving a payment.

There are still quite a lot of fundraising events to take place therefore it is anticipated that further help may be available.